by Ward, H. M.
“You,” I say breathy, “I want to be with you.”
Sean’s eyes slip over my body after he pushes himself up onto his side. “Tell me when to stop.”
I nod. Apprehension shoots through my veins, but lust is boiling hotter. Sean’s hands are on me and my eyes close. My back arches into his hand, wanting to feel his touch. Sean starts at my neck, his finger slowly drawing a line down the side of my throat, across my collarbone, and between my breasts. The movement is painfully slow, teasing and igniting heat that surges through my body.
Lightly, his finger traces the swell of my breasts and circles back between them, stopping at my navel. Sean’s finger dips in the small indent and continues down, over my dress, and doesn’t stop. I gasp when that light touch reaches the dip between my legs. Sean’s eyes are locked on mine as his finger trails between my thighs.
I can’t look away from his face. I feel trapped, even though I know I can tell him to stop. Sean’s hand returns to my face, and this time when Sean trails it down my neck, his fingers remain on my skin. The violet dress has a low neckline, and Sean dips his finger beneath the luxurious fabric, tracing the swell of my breast with his finger.
I breathe harder, wanting him there, wishing he’d do things to me that I never thought I’d want. My nipples harden and press against the lace bra. An image of Sean’s teeth, gently tugging the sensitive skin flashes in my mind. I gasp and thrust my chest up toward him, but he doesn’t touch me like that. Everything is light, like a snowflake touching skin. His other hand mirrors the movement, tracing the smooth flesh along my neck and down to my breast. By the time he’s finished both sides, I’m writhing on the bed. Every bit of me is hot. I’ve never wanted a man so much. I don’t know what to do. My instincts say to pull his lips to mine, but I can’t.
Instead, I grab hold of his shirt and yank him toward me. I sit up off the bed and strip his shirt, fumbling the buttons one at a time until they come undone. Sean lets me undress him without saying a word. When I have his shirt off, I nearly die. Every inch of him is ripped, like movie-star-OMFG-ripped. The tanned skin is smooth and taut. Muscles rise and fall in perfection. Sean’s body is Greek God material. I stare and reach for him, but Sean’s hand darts out and he takes my wrist, stopping me.
Shaking his head, he says, “No touching.”
Disappointment floods through me and I feel my bottom lip go into a full pout before I realize what I’m doing. “But, why?”
Sean smiles wickedly and leans toward me. His eyes fixate on my mouth. “Pull that lip back in right now or I swear to God, I’ll kiss you so hard that you come.”
His words shock me. My lip returns to its normal position, but the place between my legs throbs at his suggestion. My eyes lock with his and I feel the surprised, hopeful look fill my face. Heart racing hard, I say, “Can you really do that?”
My only answer is a wicked grin. Before I can say anything else, Sean sits me up. His hands reach for my sides and he starts to slowly unzip the dress. The way he watches me makes me feel excited and uneasy at the same time. I’m perfectly still, trying not to react. Even though I said no kisses, I can’t stop looking at his mouth. Images flash through my mind of a kiss that could make me come.
Sean must see it on my face, because he smiles at me. “Just ask, Miss Smith.”
I grin at him in return, as his hand slips inside the dress, feeling the smooth curve of my waist. “Don’t hold your breath, Mr. Jones.”
Mirth flashes in his eyes, and my dress disappears. I’m lying on the bed, propped up on my elbows in nothing but my lingerie. Sean is kneeling on the bed next to me. He drinks in my body like he can’t get enough. First his eyes sear across my breasts, and then dip down to my waist, before his gaze lingers on my panties. I try to be calm and confident, the way Miss Black told me to behave, but I can’t.
I smile at him shyly and look away. Something inside me wants to cover my body so he can’t see me. Sean’s finger resumes its slow tracing. When the pad of his index finger slips over my nipple, I can’t stand it anymore. I grab him by the wrist. “If you don’t touch me, and I mean take me in your arms and press your hands over every inch of my body, I’m going to scream.”
Sean grins at me. He leans in close—his lips are next to my ear—and answers, “Will you scream my name, because I’d like to hear that.” Before I can answer, Sean presses his lips to my throat, takes me in his arms, and lays me back on the bed. Sean’s body is on top of mine. I feel his hard length pressing against me.
That hard body is all mine. My fingers rake down his back as he kisses my neck. The edges of my vision flicker. When I close my eyes, white bursts of light appear. The throbbing between my legs connects to every kiss. Slowly, my legs part and I want him there.
That’s when the night goes to hell. In a matter of moments, everything goes from complete ecstasy to complete crap. I hear a high-pitched chirping sound coming from across the room. Sean looks up at the same time I do. Neither of us recognizes the sound.
Sean asks, “Is that your cell?”
Shaking my head, I answer, “No. My phone doesn’t make that noise.” And I have no idea what does.
Sean stands and leaves me lying on the bed. I turn on my side as he walks toward the windows, toward the noise. He presses his hands against the glass and looks down. “Fuck.”
20
“What is it?”
Before he can answer there is a knock at the door. Sean turns in time to see the door open, and drops the black box back into my purse.
Miss Black stands flanked between two large men. They’re dresses like hotel patrons in expensive suits, like they might have come to the hotel for a business dinner. They must be the kickass ninjas that Mel mentioned.
Miss Black steps into the room. I take the bedspread in my hands and cover myself. “Mr. Ferro, I believe you’re in violation of your contract.” She doesn’t even look at me when she steps across the threshold. “Get dressed Miss Stanz. You’re leaving.”
I don’t understand what’s happening. When I don’t move, Miss Black waives a hand at one of the large bald men flanking her. The one with dark skin and inky eyes steps toward me. He picks up my dress from the floor and hands it to me. “Dress yourself, Miss Stanz, or I’ll have him do it for you.”
Sean leans against the ledge of the window frame with his arms folded over his chest. He looks pissed. “Mind telling me which rule was violated?”
“You know very well which rule, Mr. Ferro.” Miss Black looks down at her dress, like she’s looking for a piece of lint. She smoothes the skirt and glances at me as I pull my dress over my head. I have no idea what she’s thinking, or what we did, but here she is.
“Humor me,” Sean replies. The look in his eye says he’s not happy. The muscle in his jaw works, while he waits.
Black looks him over, with her little brow pinched. “Very well. You took our property off premises. We don’t do three strikes here, Mr. Ferro. You were careless and you know, as well as I do, what happens to careless clients in this business.”
Sean walks toward her slowly, “I am well aware, however, the violation was an oversight. Miss Stanz followed me outside.”
“Why would you do that?” Miss Black’s gaze slips from Sean’s to mine. I stare at her, heart racing, knowing that I’m going to be busted. Sean can get another virgin to screw, and I’ll get kicked to the curb.
I open my mouth to confess, but Sean cuts me off. “Because I asked her to.”
“Mr. Ferro, rules are set in stone. We cannot have clients disregarding them. The rules aren’t guidelines, they are mandatory. I’m afraid that you’ll need to seek your needs elsewhere.” Miss Black snaps her fingers at me. “Come, Miss Stanz.” Miss Black turns on her heel and walks through the door. I glance helplessly at Sean. He inclines his head slightly, telling me to go. I grab my purse and follow Miss Black out. The two large men are behind me.
Miss Black’s long strides are quick. I hurry to keep up. “What happened?
” I ask as the elevator doors close. We’re alone.
She sighs, like she’s annoyed. “He really told you to go outside?” I nod, sticking to the story. “She presses her manicured fingers to her temple. “Men like that are nothing but trouble, always pushing the limits to see how much they can get away with. I’m sorry for putting you through that, Avery. It won’t happen again.”
“I don’t understand how you knew. We didn’t go very far. And what was that beeping sound?”
“There’s a transmitter in your bracelet.” She glances at my wrist. “I already told you that. We know exactly where you are. Where is it?”
“I put it on my ankle.” I point and it’s still there. “It didn’t fit around my wrist.”
Miss Black acts like I’m a first grader. “Wrist, Avery—it has to be on your wrist. I’ll have it resized.” She shakes her head like I’m an idiot.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Well, you wouldn’t. You just started. The beeping noise was a pager we put in your purse.” She takes my bag and opens it, taking out a little black box. “It goes off when we are outside the building. That only happens if a client violates their contract. It lets you know that we’re coming. I don’t normally show up at all, but with you being new, I didn’t think you’d leave willingly with the security personnel.”
I nod and look at my purse, wondering when she put that inside. I thought I had my bag with me all night. Sean must have seen the pager in my purse when he walked over to the window. I wonder how he knew what it meant. Sean seemed to know that Miss Black was coming. “Has he done this before?”
Miss Black looks at me, confused. The elevator slows as we reach the ground floor. When the doors open, she resumes her hastened pace. Looking over her shoulder at me, she says, “No, not that I know of. He was a new client.”
A car is waiting for us at the curb. Miss Black walks toward it with her head held high. A valet holds the door open for her and she slips into the car. I follow behind her. The men that had entered Sean’s room with Miss Black are gone. I don’t see them anywhere.
“Stop looking, dear. They’re invisible when they need to be.” Miss Black slinks back into the seat. Her brow is furrowed and her eyes are pressed closed. “How far did you get? Tell me that you’re still a virgin, please.” Miss Black looks straight ahead. I’m sitting next to her on the limo seat.
“We didn’t get that far. And yes, I am.” And I’m not happy about it either. Or maybe I am. I don’t know. Tonight was nothing like I thought it would be.
“Good,” Miss Black says relieved. “You will be paid for your services for this evening. Mr. Ferro was required to pay in advance for this evening. So, you don’t need to worry about getting stiffed.”
“Bad pun.”
She laughs and looks at me. I’m staring straight ahead, shell-shocked. “You’re an amusing girl.”
“That’s one word for it,” I mutter. Glancing at her, I say, “I’m sorry. I feel a little nuts. I thought I was going to—”
She cuts me off. “I know. This job can be an emotional roller coaster. Don’t worry though. It gets easier.”
I doubt it, although I say nothing. We arrive back at Miss Black’s. I step out of the limo. Before I can walk away, Miss Black says, “I’ll find you another client by next weekend. This won’t be for nothing. I promise. Come up and let’s get this squared away.”
I nod, and silently follow her upstairs. I’m paid an insane amount of money, in cash. It isn’t anywhere near what I thought I’d be getting, but it is enough to get me through a few weeks, as long as nothing else goes wrong. I take my money and shove it in my purse and head to my car.
After I spray the engine, it starts right up. I drive back to the dorm shivering, with wintry wind blasting my face. I considered sealing the window with duct tape, but that’ll look even more ghetto.
When I get inside the dorm, I bypass my room for the moment and go to find Mel. Her door is cracked. It’s a little after midnight. I wrap my knuckles on the wooden door and push it open. “Mel? You here?”
Her roommate, Asia, is sitting on her bed talking on the phone. She shakes her head at me, shaking her short shiny black hair. “One sec,” she says to the person on the phone. Raising her voice, Asia says to me, “Mel is working late tonight. She said she wouldn’t be in until after 2:00 am.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
Flustered, I walk back to my room. If Amber barricaded the door, I’m going to kill her. I slip the key into the lock and twist. Surprisingly, the door opens. My shabby little room is empty. Thank God! As soon as I know that I’m alone, the tears come and they don’t stop until I pass out on my bed.
21
The next morning sucks. Amber and Dennis are arguing. I cover my head with a pillow, but it still doesn’t block them out. To top it off, she has the heat cranked up so high that I’m sweating. I get up and turn down the heater. Hiding under the blankets doesn’t work when the room is 150 degrees.
“Don’t touch that!” Amber snaps at me. “It’s freezing in here.”
“I’m melting, Amber. Leave it off for a while.” I sound reasonable, but she makes a face at me. As soon as I walk away, Amber turns the thing back on.
She turns her anger on me. “You’re such a bitch, Avery. You can’t do whatever you want, whenever you want. I live here too!” Amber is seething, like she’s justified. Dennis watches her, but his eyes flick to me when I explode.
I round on her, growling, with my hands balled into fists at my sides. “Are you fucking insane? I never get to do what I want! You’re here all the time, you lock the door, you block me out of my own goddamn room, you have sex on my bed when I’m not here, your boyfriends use my blankets to clean up after they stick their dick in your nasty self! If anyone’s a bitch, it’s you!” Amber is staring at me, her eyes becoming glossy like she’s going to cry. I don’t care. I so don’t care.
“You’re so mean, Avery,” Amber sobs and turns to Dennis, who holds her in his arms loosely.
Dennis listened to my little rant. It’s quiet for a second before he asks her, “What did she mean, boyfriends?” He emphasizes the plural part of the word. “I thought we were exclusive, Amber. Have you been fucking other guys?” He pulls her away and shouts in her face.
I’m so angry. I grab my clothes and run out the door. As it slams behind me, I hear Amber sobbing, saying nasty stuff about me, denying that she was with anyone else. I don’t know why he would care. Dennis screws any girl that lifts her skirt. Enraged, I walk down to Mel’s and knock. It’s still early.
The door creaks open and she looks at me with bleary eyes, “Awh, hell. You want me to go punch Tramperella in the face? Cuz I’ll be all over that piece of trash. You just say the word. I could hear you guys screaming from here.” Mel yawns the last part and glances down the hall. When I don’t answer, she blinks hard and pushes past me. “I’m gonna go all ninja on her white ass. You come on and watch.”
I grab Mel’s arm and stop her. “Maybe later.” Mel looks at me and then back down the hall. I coax her. “Let me use your shower and I’ll take you out for breakfast.”
Mel gives me a look that’s distinctly Mel. It’s all attitude. “I want chocolate chip pancakes, and not that shit the diner serves. Are we talking IHOP?”
I laugh. “Yeah, if that’s what it takes.”
22
Bribery is underrated. I think I could get Amber whacked if I bribed Mel with a stack of chocolate chip pancakes. She eats them, doused in strawberry syrup. The pancakes look like they’ve been shot.
“How can you eat that?” I ask. It’s so sweet. I have eggs and bacon. Well, I had bacon. Mel took that already.
“It’s freakin’ fantabulous. Everyone should eat this for breakfast. Every day. It’s the breakfast of champions.” She shovels another bunch of fluffy pancakes into her mouth. A bead of syrup runs from the corner of her mouth.
“That’s Wheaties. And you’re looking a little vampy, there
.” I touch to corner of my mouth and tilt my head toward her and say, “You’ve got syrup. Or is that drool?”
Mel’s back stiffens as she wipes away the blot of red. She points a fork full of pancakes at me and says, “I do not drool. Not unless it’s a particularly hot guy. Then I might drool, a little.” She chews and takes a swig of milk, then asks, “So, how’d last night go? Are we still on Team V?”
I laugh. “You’re so stupid. Team V. Yeah, I’m still on Team V. Things got out of hand last night. Black showed up and pulled me away.”
Mel’s jaw drops and the fork freezes half way to her mouth. “No shit!” She leans in closer and lowers her voice, “What the hell happened?”
I tell her. As I retell the horrible events of last night, I push around the food on my plate. I don’t feel very hungry today. When I finish my story, I look up at her. Mel hasn’t taken a bite. I tell her, “Black said she’d match me to someone else. I got paid a little bit, enough to treat you and pay some bills, but not enough to be home free the way I thought I’d be. I don’t know what to do.”
“You’re back to square one.”
I nod. “Yeah, I suppose so.”
“Why did Sean do that? It almost seems like he wanted to blow the whole arrangement.”
“He didn’t. He didn’t react well when I showed up. He left. I chased him. It’s not like he lured me outside to irritate Black. He seemed as surprised as I was when she showed up.”
“That boy is messed up.” She points her pancake at me before popping it into her mouth.
“We already knew that.” I sigh and lean my head on my hand. I poke my eggs and paint the yellow yolk across the white plate.
Mel watches me. “You seem out of it. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were falling for the guy. You’re all doe-eyed, making hearts in your food.”
“I am not,” I say, straightening up.
“Whatever,” Mel says, “I just call it like I see it. You’ve got that Bambi look on your face, like you’re swooning for Mr. Freakshow.”
